Reading I: Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41
Reading II: Revelations 5:11-14
GOSPEL: John 21:1-14
Listen Up!
Imagine what it must have been like. You had given up your profession – indeed, your entire life – to follow a man named Jesus. Over time you came to truly believe he was the Messiah. He broke bread and told you to remember him. You vowed to lay down your life for Jesus, if need be, but then denied him three times before his crucifixion. Wouldn’t you want to go back to a simpler life of catching fish?
Gentle Reminder
Peter had been a fisherman, so it is not surprising that he went back to that soon after the death of Jesus. He was probably depressed and downhearted. He had professed his love for Jesus, but then failed three times when put to the test! It was as if the words had barely left his mouth before he began to deny them
Jesus knows our hearts, and he knew the heart of Peter. So when Peter strayed back to his old profession, our Lord appeared to him and reminded him of his commissioning. For Jesus had asked Peter to be a fisher of men, and Jesus expected him to follow through.
Fishers of Men
We, like Peter, are called to evangelize. We are called to spread the Good News – that Christ has died, risen, and will come again – and to be fishers of men. But we need a reminder every now and then, too.
And just like he did with Peter in today’s gospel, we see Jesus clearly through the breaking of the bread – the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Christ is revealed to us every time we share in the Sacrament, and we are reminded that he has called us.
“Feed my sheep,” is what Jesus said to Peter.
He’s saying it to us, too. Are we listening?
Life Applications:
What do you think you would have done in Peter’s place?
How does Jesus speak to you and remind you to follow?
In what ways do you “feed his sheep?”
Check out the REAL Word Podcast for the 3rd Sunday of Easter (Cycle C):
Original article by Brandon Jubar, 2004-2022.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.